Nintendo chief unimpressed with Apple's iPad
Nintendo's president shrugged off the just unveiled iPad tablet computer from Apple as delivering "no surprises," and displayed as little enthusiasm for 3-D technology and high-definition upgrades for games.

Duff: iPad looks great, but will it replace laptops? Probably not quite yet
The unfortunately named “iPad” is one of the most anticipated devices in the history of computing — a dream of useable portability that designers have been toying with for decades. The iPad isn’t the first tablet, not even the first device with a big multitouch screen, but it’s running a proven operating system, with the full might and scope of the iTunes store behind it.

Tech filings reveal lawsuit threat
Craig James threatened on Dec. 20 to sue the university if it did not investigate the actions of then-head football coach Mike Leach, according to documents filed Tuesday by Tech's attorneys with the attorney general's office.

From our story comments
"No one is more deserving of this opportunity than Ruff. He is a man of faith, and I'm sure he believes when God closes one door, he will open another. The timing of all this indeed seems supernatural. Congratulations and best wishes to a great coach and a good man. Tech and Lubbock will miss you."

Quick opinion
We hope replacement of the much-maligned Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, or TAKS, produces a more accurate analysis of student progress or lack thereof. The new State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, that is still under development, includes end-of-course exams in core subject areas.

Singer-songwriter adds Turkish touch to Texas music scene
When you think of female singer-songwriters, an image immediately jumps to mind: A chick in a bar with a guitar. Aly Tadros was the embodiment of this image when she first started her musical career. As she matured as a musician, however, she wanted to expand.

Overweight women needed for research
Overweight or obese premenopausal women age 30 and older are invited to participate in a Texas Tech Health Sciences Center research project investigating the effects of martial arts exercise on weight control.

Experts say feds should study water
Water experts said Friday that federal authorities should better use the influence they already have over how residents use water before they look to expand it, as new legislation could allow.

Icy storm deals misery to South Plains
After spring-like weather on Wednesday, Lubbock and the South Plains took a vicious winter punch Thursday, creating havoc with trees and the power lines and houses they fell on.

Tech filings reveal lawsuit threat
Craig James threatened on Dec. 20 to sue the university if it did not investigate the actions of then-head football coach Mike Leach, according to documents filed Tuesday by Tech's attorneys with the attorney general's office.

Streets give
motorists
rough time
First responders throughout the South Plains were kept busy Thursday as drivers slid off frozen roadways, dodged tree limbs and got stranded.

Elm Grove Golf Course scheduled for sale today
The Elm Grove Golf Course, which suddenly closed in mid-November, is scheduled to be sold today, wrapping up much of what's been a bitter situation between the course's owner and its contract manager.

House candidates face off in debate
Republican candidates vying for the Texas House of Representatives District 84 seat faced off to answer an array of questions ranging from voter identification, illegal immigration to Texas Tech's goal to achieve tier one status.

Leonard deposition still in negotiations
Negotiations continued in late January to set a date for the deposition of Lubbock City Councilman John Leonard in a civil trial involving a former city insurer.

Citizens push to keep tabs on LP&L
Lubbock residents on Wednesday pushed for greater access and control of the city-owned power company to be written into the city's equivalent of a constitution.

Memorial to first responders OKed
Lubbock's City Council on Thursday approved an agreement that would allow a memorial to first responders killed in the line of duty to be built on the site of the former Godeke Library.

Cavazos says early lessons inspired education career
Lessons from family members and ranch workers learned by Lauro Cavazos as a boy growing up on the vast King Ranch in South Texas influenced his life and affected decisions he would later make as secretary of education under two presidents.

Index shows
Lubbock economy
on way back
The Lubbock Economic Index posted its second consecutive month-over-month increase in December, but at year's end it still trailed 2008's values by nearly 6 percent, according to figures released Wednesday.

Hockley accomplishes hot-check goal
Hockley County law enforcement officials said despite an eight-year gap since their last hot-check raid, Tuesday night's raid accomplished the intended goal.

Obama in State of the Union: I don't quit'
WASHINGTON - Declaring "I don't quit,'" an embattled President Barack Obama vowed in his first State of the Union address Wednesday night to make job growth his topmost priority and urged a divided Congress to boost the still-ailing economy with a new burst of stimulus spending. Despite stinging setbacks, he said he would not abandon ambitious plans for longer-term fixes to health care, energy, education and more.

PETA proposes stand-in for Phil
An animal rights group wants organizers of Pennsylvania’s Groundhog Day festival to replace Punxsutawney Phil with a robotic stand-in.

Obama urges Americans to settle differences
TAMPA, Fla. - Trying to bury a year of polarization, President Barack Obama on Thursday escalated his appeal for politicians and voters alike to settle differences without tearing each other apart. His plea: "Let's start thinking of each other as Americans first."

Toyota near solution on pedal problem
WASHINGTON - Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it's closing in on solutions to a gas pedal system problem, but it still had no details on when drivers would see repairs as an embarrassing recall spread to more than 2.4 million vehicles on three continents.

'Catcher in the Rye" author Salinger dies
NEW YORK - J.D. Salinger, the legendary author, youth hero and fugitive from fame whose "The Catcher in the Rye" shocked and inspired a world he increasingly shunned, has died. He was 91.

Republicans say nation can't afford Democrat policies
WASHINGTON - The nation cannot afford the spending Democrats have enacted or the tax increases they propose, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said Wednesday in the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.

Death NoticesRobert J. "Bob" Baker, 77, of Temple, formerly of Post, died Jan. 26, 2010, in Temple. Services are pending with Justice-Mason Funeral Home of Post.

Death noticesWaneta Agnew, 78, of Seminole died Jan. 26, 2010, at her residence. Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Saturday at South Seminole Baptist Church. Boyer Funeral Home of Seminole.

Robert J. "Bob" Baker
Robert J. "Bob" Baker, 77, of Temple and formerly of Post, died on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at the Regency Manor Healthcare & Rehab Center in Temple. He was born on February 13, 1932 to Lester Paul and Gertrude Josephine (Parker) Baker in Garza County.

Jose Calderon
Jose Calderon, 86, of Ralls, passed away at his residence on Tuesday, January 26, 2010, with his family by his side.

Billy Pat Frizzell
Lockney - Billy Pat Frizzell, 75, of Lockney passed away Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at his home in Lockney. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, January 30, 2010 at the First Baptist Church in Lockney with Rev. John Franklin and Rev. Kyle Brock officiating. Burial will follow at the Lockney Cemetery under the direction of Moore-Rose Funeral Home in Lockney.

Brenda Cato
Brenda Cato of Lubbock departed this life on Jan. 25, 2010 at the age of 55 years.

Donnie Williams Graves
Donnie Williams Graves, 76, of Lubbock passed away Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at her residence. She was born March 31, 1933 to Elder Nathaniel Williams, Sr. and Mary Williams in Lubbock, TX. She graduated from Dunbar High School in 1950. She received her B.S. degree from Prairie View A&M University and a Masters Degree from Texas Southern University in Houston, TX. She taught in the Lubbock Public School System for over 30 years until she retired. Mother Graves was very active in the church; she was a Sunday School Teacher, Church Trustee, Board Member, Women's Fifth Sunday Programs, and Vacation Bible School.

Macky Gene McMillan
Services for Macky Gene McMillan will be 10:30 a.m., Friday, Jan. 29, 2010 in Englunds Chapel, with Dr. Gary Kirksey officiating. Interment will be in Englewood Cemetery under the direction of Englunds Funeral Service of Slaton.

Adelita A. Reyna
Funeral services for Adelita A. Reyna, 82, of Lubbock, will be at 11 a.m., Friday, Jan. 29, 2010 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, with Father Andres Mendoza officiating. Rosary will be this evening at 7 p.m. at Guajardo Funeral Chapels. Burial will be at Peaceful Gardens Cemetery under the direction of Guajardo Funeral Chapels.

No. 3 'Nova off to best start in school history
PHILADELPHIA - Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher each scored 17 points to help No. 3 Villanova get off to the best start in history - a season after advancing to the Final Four - with a 90-72 win over Notre Dame on Wednesday night.

Oklahoma State extends home win streak
STILLWATER, Okla. - Obi Muonelo scored a season-high 24 points, James Anderson added 19 and Oklahoma State extended its home winning streak to 16 games with a 76-69 victory over Texas A&M on Wednesday night.

LCU faces two big games in next three days
With four wins in its last five games - one against a 12th-ranked opponent - Lubbock Christian University has given itself some postseason possibilities with a month left in the basketball season.

Hutchison raps Perry on Enterprise Fund
AUSTIN - Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison took aim Thursday at Gov. Rick Perry's oversight of the Texas Enterprise Fund, saying he has kept the public in the dark about the fund's activities. She called for an immediate independent audit of the job-creation program.

SA homeowners complain of harmful contract clauses
AUSTIN - Several homeowners from a San Antonio neighborhood where a landslide threatened to topple and crush houses complained to state lawmakers Wednesday that mandatory arbitration clauses used in many new home contracts harm them.

Army agrees to postpone mental exam of shooter
FORT WORTH - Army officials agreed to delay a mental evaluation for the man suspected of going on a shooting spree at Fort Hood until after a military court hearing that will determine if he will stand trial, his attorney said Wednesday.

Ike most costly insurance-wise in state history
AUSTIN (AP) - Hurricane Ike was the costliest weather catastrophe in Texas history in terms of insurance coverage, leaving behind nearly $12 billion in insured damage, an industry group reported Thursday.

TxDMV closed due to severe weather
The TxDMV's current policy calls for their regional office located here in Lubbock (135 Slaton Road, on the TxDOT District headquarters campus) to be closed, due to severe weather, if the local schools and government offices are also closed.

Ice storm warning, cancellations
The National Weather Service office in Lubbock has issued an ice storm warning in effect until 6 a.m. Friday, according to its Web site.

City Landfills Closed Through the Weekend
The City of Lubbock landfill near Abernathy (the West Texas Regional Disposal Facility) is closed due to a power outage. The lack of power combined with icy road conditions, falling branches, and down power lines is preventing Solid Waste trucks from operating Friday through Sunday.

LCU, Wayland reschedule basketball games
Due to the winter weather moving through West Texas and the ice storm warning issued by the National Weather Service, tonight's Sooner Athletic Conference basketball games between Lubbock Christian University and Rogers State University have been postponed until Friday.

Weather updates
Winter weather has caused several power outages and wet, slick roadways across the South Plains.
According to the National Weather Service, the southwestern and south central parts of the region are under an ice storm warning or winter storm warning until 6 a.m. Friday.

Texas Tech University closed today
Texas Tech University will be closed today, Friday, Jan. 29. All morning, afternoon and evening classes are cancelled due to winter weather.

Haitian girl stable after rescue
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - A 16-year-old girl pulled from the rubble more than two weeks after a deadly earthquake was in stable condition Thursday, able to eat yogurt and mashed vegetables to the surprise of doctors, who said her survival was medically inexplicable.